BIBLE W1 D3 In the Beginning (Genesis 1)

The opening of Genesis is one of the most beautiful sections of the Bible (hint: I think we'll be looking at others very soon as well). But it is also the most controversial and devisive. Here in approximately ten paragraphs, we have a clear and succint summary of eons of world history.

Why is this so controversial? From my point of view, I have friends from the evangelical tradition that insist this is an indication that the entire earth, sky, plants, animals and humans were created in just six "earth days" and that God gave us all the indications otherwise (geology, astronomy, physics, etc.) so we'd have something to keep us occupied. My scientist friends say it's all balderdash and a big bang started a reaction with quarks, muons, etc. which formed clouds of gas... stars, solar systems, earth... water, land, continental drift... plants, fish, amphibians, mamals, monkeys and finally humans. I'm caught in the middle of this.

When I step back from the fray, I'm amazed at how consistent the accounts are with each other. Genesis 1 basically gets the order of the creation of our world correct from a scientific perspective... light (big bang) -> earth (the planet) -> sea and land w/vegetation -> fish and birds -> mamals -> humans. The thing is that everybody agrees that Genesis was written thousands of years ago - before telescopes, particle accelerators and basically all of our scientific understanding. Yet it essentially nails the creation narrative (even though the creation myths from other religions usually get it wrong). Personally, I believe this chapter is one of the best "proofs" for the existence of God as we understand Him.

Finally, This passage tells us that God's creation is beautiful and good. This is very true. One exercise in meditation I would like to try with you all is to find a wide open field somewhere and "pray" for a time by lying on our backs and staring up at the starry sky in silence (try it sometime... it's very powerful). To me, one of the most beautiful parts of God's creation is human thought and expression. The Bible contains some of the most beautiful written expressions I've encountered. One is "In the beginning..." think about how that phrase has resonated with us for hundreds of years in the English language. We'll explore the beauty of the Bible's language some more tomorrow.

(Note: Our Reading speaks of the Old Testament and New Testament. I'll let you read that on p.17 since I'm running long this morning. But it's still important to know.)